This application claims the priority of German Application No. 19706 948.7, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a heating or air conditioning unit for the interior of vehicles and, more particularly, to a heating or air conditioning unit for the interior of vehicles with air outlets, which are disposed in the center plane of the interior of the vehicle, particularly in the dashboard, and which include at least one centrally disposed center vent and two side vents disposed at the side. The vents are connected over air ducts with an air distributor. A control unit has adjusting elements for influencing the air emerging from the air outlets. The adjusting elements, together with the discharging opening of the center vent, are combined into a control panel.
In the case of a known heating or air conditioning unit of the above-mentioned type, such as from German Patent document DE 36 10 188 C2, two adjacent discharging openings of two center vents (center vent left, center vent right) for the driver's side and for the front seat passenger's side of the interior are disposed in the control panel of the control unit integrated in the dashboard. For adjusting the direction of flow of the air emerging from the vents, each of the center vents is covered by a grill of pivotable air-guiding lamellas. Between the two center vents, an adjusting element of the control unit, constructed as an control wheel, is placed, the adjustment of which, over a mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electric and/or electromotive remote control, opens a so-called mixing flap in the air distributor, in order to control the temperature of the air emerging from the air distributor by proportionately opening a cold air and a warm air flap at the inlet of the air distributor. To the right and left of the two center vents, a further adjusting element, which is also constructed as a control wheel and with which the amount of air, supplied over the center vents and the two side vents of the center plane, which are also disposed in the dashboard, can be regulated separately from the driver's side and from the front seat passenger's side, is disposed in the control panel. In this known connection, the amount of air, flowing into the driver's side and into the front seat passenger's side in the center plane of the interior of the vehicle is always divided in a fixed, invariable ratio between the center vent and the side vent.
It is known that a covering flap may be assigned to every vent for distributing the air to the side and center vents in the center plane of the interior of a vehicle. The covering flaps can be swiveled mechanically over a separate adjusting wheel disposed directly on each vent, in order to cover or uncover the outlet cross section of the vent more or less in this manner. With that, however, only the driver or the front seat passenger can adjust the side vent disposed on his side.
It is an object of the invention to improve a heating or air conditioning unit of the above-mentioned type for vehicle interiors so that the air can be divided conveniently from the driver's seat between the center vent and the side vent on the driver's side and on the front seat passenger's side of the interior of the vehicle.
The present invention accomplishes this objective by providing a heating or air conditioning unit for the interior of vehicles with air outlets, which are disposed in the center plane of the interior of the vehicle, particularly in the dashboard, and which include at least one centrally disposed center vent and two side vents disposed at the side. The vents are connected over air ducts with an air distributor. A control unit has adjusting elements for influencing the air emerging from the air outlets. The adjusting elements, together with the discharging opening of the center vent, are combined into a control panel. The air ducts leading to the side vents are branched off from the air duct leading to the at least one center vent. An air splitter for dividing the air flow passing through the center duct between the at least one center vent and the two side vents is disposed at each branching site. The control unit has two air distribution adjusting elements which are disposed on the control panel laterally from the center vent and each of which controls a respective air splitter.
The inventive heating and air conditioning unit has the advantage that the distribution of air between the center vent and the side vent can be adjusted on the driver's side as well as on the front seat passenger's side by use of the adjusting elements present on the control unit located on the control panel, which is disposed within the reach of the driver. The covering flaps, present on the center and side vents, as well as the control organs for actuating the cover flaps, which are assigned to the vents, are omitted. The adjusting elements of the control unit in the control panel can be constructed as knurled adjusting wheels, rocker push-buttons, adjusting knobs or the like.
Advantageous embodiments of the inventive heating and air conditioning unit with appropriate further developments and refinements of the invention are described herein.
Pursuant to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each air splitter has a pivotable air flap, which is disposed at the branching site of the side duct in such a manner that, in its one pivoting position, it completely covers the outlet opening to the side duct and completely unblocks the clear cross section of the center duct. In its other position, the pivotal air flap completely unblocks the inlet opening to the side duct and closes off the clear cross section of the center duct. The air flaps are actuated by mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, electric and/or electromotive remote control by the air distribution adjusting elements of the control panel of the control unit.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, each air splitter has a first air flap, which controls the inlet opening to the side duct, and a second air flap, which controls the clear cross section of the center duct and which, as seen in the air flow direction, is disposed after the first air flap. The air flaps once again are actuated by remote control from the air distribution adjusting elements. Due to this structural design, there is greater spatial design freedom for constructing and arranging the branching sites of the side ducts. However, a coupling mechanism for the air flaps of an air splitter or a separate servomotor for each air flap of an air splitter must be provided, the two servomotors being triggered simultaneously over the air distribution adjusting element assigned to the air splitter.
Pursuant to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a temperature-adjusting element and at least one element for adjusting the amount of air are provided in the control panel of the control unit. The adjusting elements specify to an electronic control system the nominal values for the amount and the temperature of the air flowing out of the center and side vents. By means of stored characteristic curves for linking the amount and the temperature of the air in accordance with the specified nominal values, the electronic control system adjusts the at least one warm air flap and the at least one cold air flap of a mixing chamber integrated in the air distributor. In this way, the driver can adjust from the control unit the division of air between the center vent and the side vent as well as the temperature of the air emerging there in each case.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention for ventilating the driver's side and the front seat passenger's side of the interior of the vehicle separately, two center vents, disposed next to one another, are provided in the control panel and are connected with the air distributor over air ducts, which are separate from one another. A side duct for a side vent on the driver's side and on the front seat passenger's side branches off from each center duct. The mixing chamber, integrated in air distributors, is also divided into two partial chambers, from which, in each case, one center duct branches off. A separate warm air flap and cold air flap is assigned to each partial chamber. The two cold air flaps are controlled preferably synchronously with the one temperature adjusting element disposed in the control panel.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.